Porustobart Plus Tislelizumab Yields Promising Responses in Pretreated MSS mCRC

The phase 2 trial of porustobart plus tislelizumab showed antitumor activity and manageable safety in heavily pretreated MSS metastatic colorectal cancer.

Antitumor activity and a manageable safety profile were observed with the combination of porustobart (HBM4003) and tislelizumab-jsgr (Tevimbra) in patients with heavily pretreated, non–liver-metastatic, microsatellite-stable (MSS) metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC), according to findings from a phase 2 trial (NCT05167071).1

Porustobart is a next-generation, fully human, heavy-chain–only anti–CTLA-4 antibody discovered and developed using the HCAb Harbour Mice platform. It is the first fully human heavy-chain–only antibody to enter global clinical development.

Among 23 evaluable patients in the study, the regimen generated an objective response rate (ORR) of 34.8%, including 8 partial responses. The disease control rate was 60.9%. The median progression-free survival was 4.2 months. All patients enrolled (n = 24) had received 2 or more prior lines of therapy, and 66.7% of patients had presented with lung metastases at baseline.

“[Porustobart], a next-generation, anti-CTLA-4 antibody discovered through our HCAb Harbour Mice platform, is a direct clinical application arising from this foundational research. The positive results from this phase 2 clinical study mark an important milestone for Harbour BioMed and underscore the therapeutic potential of [porustobart]. We will continue to advance [porustobart] with the goal of delivering transformative immuno-oncology therapies to patients worldwide,” Jingsong Wang, MD, PhD, founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of Harbour BioMed, noted in a news release.

What Was the Design of the Phase 2 Trial Investigating Porustobart Plus Tislelizumab in Patients with MSS mCRC?

This is an open-label, multicenter clinical trial designed to assess the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics (PK), pharmacodynamics (PD), and preliminary efficacy of porustobart in combination with the PD-1 inhibitors toripalimab-tpzi (Loqtorzi) or tislelizumab in patients with advanced neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs) and other solid tumors, including CRC.2 The trial includes 2 parts. Part 1 was a dose-confirmation portion aimed at determining the recommended phase 2 dose (RP2D) and maximum tolerated dose of porustobart when administered with toripalimab in patients with advanced NENs. Once the RP2D was established, part 2, the dose-expansion portion, further evaluated the safety, tolerability, PK/PD, and early efficacy of the combination in a population of patients with advanced CRC.

Patients received porustobart plus toripalimab for up to 2 years or until confirmed disease progression, unacceptable toxicity, or withdrawal of consent. The study also included a 28-day screening period, post-treatment follow-up at 28 and 84 days after the last dose, and ongoing survival follow-up.

The goal of part 2 of the trial was to establish the optimal dosing strategy and characterize the clinical activity of porustobart in combination with PD-1 blockade as a potential treatment option for patients with advanced solid tumors who have limited available therapies. In part 2, patients received porustobart at 0.3 mg/kg plus tislelizumab at 200 mg every 21 days. ORR served as the primary end point.

What Was the Safety Profile of the Combination of Porustobart and Tislelizumab in the Phase 2 Trial?

The combination of porustobart and tislelizumab was considered generally well tolerated and manageable, with no grade 4 or fatal treatment-emergent adverse effects reported, according to the news release.1 Treatment-related adverse effects occurred in 87.5% (n = 21/24) of patients, most of which were grade 1 or 2 in severity.

The most common AEs, each observed in at least 20% of patients, included liver function test abnormalities, hematologic abnormalities, and pyrexia. Treatment-related serious AEs were reported in 37.5% (n = 9/24) of patients.

References

  1. Harbour BioMed announces positive phase 2 results for HBM4003 and tislelizumab combination in MSS mCRC. Harbour BioMed. News Release. October 23, 2025. Accessed October 23, 2025. https://www.harbourbiomed.com/news/249.html
  2. HBM4003 combined with toripalimab in patients with advanced NEN and other solid tumors study. ClinicalTrials.gov. Updated April 27, 2025. Accessed October 23, 2025. https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05167071